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Getting a vanilla and chocolate twist from the neighborhood ice cream truck is a nostalgic summer experience. But buying scoops of premium ice cream at a trendy shop in town for the entire crew doesn't come cheap.
If you want to save some cash and get creative with flavor-making—plus always have exceptional ice cream on hand at home—it's time to invest in your own ice cream maker. You can get a high-quality model for well under $100 or spend a bit more on a machine with a compressor for insta ice cream satisfaction. Read on for our recommendations of the best ice cream makers on the market to suit every budget.
Best Ice Cream Makers
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Best for Soft Serve
Cuisinart Soft Service Ice Cream Maker
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What to Consider
Cost aside, the first decision to make when shopping for an ice cream maker is how much time and effort you’re willing to put into making your favorite frozen treat. There are professional-grade compression machines that turn out batches of ice cream one after the next, budget and mid-priced options that may require sticking the bowl in the freezer in advance, and old-fashioned hand-crank ice cream makers that require some elbow grease. Counter space may be an issue if you’re planning on buying an automatic electric machine. Some are tall with slim footprints—easy to tuck into a corner—but others are bulky and heavy, and may need to be stored below in a cabinet.
How We Selected
All the the ice cream makers below have average customer ratings of four stars or more. We cover a range of styles—from modern electric countertop machines to old-fashioned buckets—and included options that span price points, from budget-friendly machines for under $75 to ultra-high-end professional ice cream makers upward of $700 at the time of this writing. Features are often specific to the machine you choose, but we noted general things to look out for across the board, such as capacity and the amount of time it takes to turn out the ice cream.
For more great small appliances to add to your cooking arsenal, check out our picks for the best stand mixers, slow cookers, and air fryers.
Key Specs
- Dimensions (L x W x H): 11 x 15.75 x 11 inches
- Weight: 35 pounds
- Material: Stainless steel
- Settings: 12
- Capacity: 1.5 quarts
While this 1.5-quart ice cream maker may be on the pricey side, its superior performance, lineup of features, and attractive design make it our top pick.
There are 12 hardness settings to make everything from creamy sorbet to thick rocky road, plus it keeps your creation frozen to perfection for 3 hours. It’s made of stainless steel, with a display panel on top that’s easy to read and extremely intuitive. For those who like toppings mixed in, you can program it to beep at the ideal time to add the goods.
Key Specs
- Dimensions (L x W x H): 9.7 x 8.6 x 13.2
- Weight: 13.5 pounds
- Material: Metal
- Settings: 3
- Capacity: 2 quarts
This Cuisinart ice cream maker is a great value, with a 2-quart capacity, an LCD control panel with several speeds and three settings, plus a countdown timer and auto-shutoff function. It also has a sleeker look, with a brushed metal exterior, a tall silhouette that’s a little over a foot, and a base that’s well under 10 inches in length and width. Other highlights include a wide ingredient spout with a built-in measuring cup, plus it comes with a recipe book.
Key Specs
- Dimensions (L x W x H): 9.5 x 9 x 11.25 inches
- Weight: 10.1 pounds
- Material: Plastic
- Settings: 1
- Capacity: 1.5 quarts
This ice cream maker requires storing the mixing bowl in the freezer in advance, which may be a dealbreaker for some, but it offers solid value and performance. It’s also a customer favorite, with an average 4.7 stars from more than 18,000 reviewers.
Once the 1.5-quart double-insulated freezer bowl is ready to go—there’s a large spout to make adding ingredients easy—it turns out your favorite flavor in 20 minutes or less. In addition to white, the ice cream maker is available in several fun colors, including vibrant red, bright yellow, and pretty pink.
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Key Specs
- Dimensions (L x W x H): 16.7 x 12 x 9.3 inches
- Weight: 27.2 pounds
- Material: Stainless steel
- Settings: 2
- Capacity: 1.5 quarts
This ice cream maker is a serious upgrade from the above models because it has a fully automatic, commercial quality compressor—which essentially means ice cream on demand. You can create multiple flavors in the 1.5-quart ice cream maker, one right after the next, with a 60-minute countdown timer.
There are separate paddles for ice cream and gelato—all parts are BPA-free—and a feature that keeps your frozen treat at prime temperature 10 minutes after the timer goes off.
Key Specs
- Dimensions (L x W x H): 10.75 x 12.5 x 14.25 inches
- Weight: 24.25 pounds
- Material: Stainless steel
- Settings: 3
- Capacity: 2.1 quarts
Whynter’s automatic ice cream maker with a high-efficiency compressor is a true standout in terms of value for the price. It has an impressive 2.1-quart capacity, is made of durable stainless steel, and has BPA-free blades and a removable mixing bowl. There are three modes for making ice cream, mixing in ingredients, and cooling, it has a built-in audible timer, plus it boasts an auto-shutoff cooling function to protect it from damage. Another bonus is that for a machine of its capacity, it has a relatively small footprint to save counter space.
Key Specs
- Dimensions (L x W x H): 18 x 12 x 11 inches
- Weight: 38 pounds
- Material: Stainless steel
- Settings: 1
- Capacity: 1.5 quarts
Serious ice cream enthusiasts with money to spend need look no further than this top-of-the-line machine, made by Italian brand Musso. The compression ice cream maker has a 1.5-quart capacity, but is capable of churning out 3 quarts per hour—of what might be the most dense, rich, and creamy ice cream it’s possible to make at home.
It’s fully automatic, with a simple LCD control panel that has a timer and pause button. It’s attractive and streamlined, with a gleaming stainless steel body, but what may be a drawback for some is that it's a bit of a behemoth at 18 inches deep and 38 pounds.
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Key Specs
- Dimensions (L x W x H): 12.2 x 12.2 x 15.35
- Weight: 7.6 pounds
- Material: Galvanized metal
- Settings: 1
- Capacity: 4 quarts
If you like the look of an old-fashioned ice cream maker, but want something a bit more convenient than your average hand-crank model, this electric option from Elite Gourmet is your best bet. It makes four quarts of ice cream at once, making it a great choice for using at barbecues and parties this summer.
It’s crafted from galvanized metal, giving it an old-fashioned look while still being easy to clean. There’s a wide mixing spatula and powerful motor to churn enough ice cream for a crowd in about 40 minutes.
Key Specs
- Dimensions (L x W x H): 9.9 x 7.75 x 17.25 inches
- Weight: 16.7 pounds
- Material: Plastic, aluminum
- Settings: 1
- Capacity: 1.5 quarts
Even soft serve lovers will rarely say no to a scoop of hard ice cream (I mean, it’s still ice cream) but for diehards, nothing compares to the creamy consistency of a twist in a cone.
This 1.5-quart Cuisinart ice cream maker turns out soft serve in about 20 minutes and is ultra-appealing, with designated bins for toppings and a side tray to stack ice cream cones. It requires putting a double-insulated bowl in the freezer for cooling in advance, but parts are removable for easy cleaning.
To dispense the ice cream, do it like the pros do at your local ice cream shop: Simply pull down the handle and give it a swirl.
Key Specs
- Dimensions (L x W x H): Not listed
- Weight: 17.9 pounds
- Material: Stainless steel
- Settings: 1
- Capacity: 6 quarts
If you’re willing to put in the elbow grease, this option will recreate the experience of hand-churning homemade ice cream. It may be on the pricey side, but it’s the kind of appliance that’s built to last, made of all stainless steel hardware—including the gears and housing—plus, it has a triple-lay construction for excellent insulation and durability. It’s also completely charming, with a lovely green tub and ice cream cone on the front.
(Fun fact: “immergood” means “always good” in German.)
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Key Specs
- Dimensions (L x W x H): 17.1 x 15.4 x 12.9 inches
- Weight: 6.6 pounds
- Material: Plastic
- Settings: 1
- Capacity: Not listed
For all those who opt for non-dairy treats, this dessert maker is your saving grace. It can be loaded with an array of frozen fruits to be turned into delicious sorbet. If you're not sure where to start with making your own concoction, a booklet of 72 recipes is included with the maker, so all you need to do is stock up on some fruit and figure out what type of dessert you're craving.The dessert maker comes in four colors and is relatively compact, so it would look great—and fit great—on any kitchen counter.
Key Specs
- Dimensions (L x W x H): Not listed
- Weight: 2.2 pounds
- Material: Polycarbonate
- Settings: N/A
- Capacity: 0.6 quarts
If you're nostalgic for the DIY ice-cream-making experiments you did in science class as a kid, this ice cream ball is sure to delight. Simply load the ball with the necessary ingredients—ice, rock salt, and ice cream mix—and then get it rolling.
The ball can make a pint of ice cream for kids—and adults—to enjoy, and it only takes 30 minutes for the frozen treat to be prepared.
Kylee McGuigan
Associate Commerce Editor
Kylee McGuigan is an associate commerce editor for Hearst Magazines’s Enthusiast Group. She works with content for brands such as Popular Mechanics, Best Products, Bicycling, and Runner’s World. Kylee graduated from Penn State in May 2020 with a degree in journalism and a minor in French. During her undergraduate career, she spent a majority of her time writing for, and eventually editing, VALLEY Magazine: Penn State’s only student-run fashion and lifestyle magazine. She has produced content ranging from beauty and health, to lifestyle and self-improvement. After spending four years in the happiest of valleys (State College, PA), she moved back home to South Jersey—otherwise known as the famous “outside of Philly” area. Kylee can be found working out of her local Starbucks with her best friend, an iced chai in hand, and endless hours of music playlists to get her through the day. When she’s not working, she is more than likely on her daily walk in her neighborhood, at Orangetheory, binging Sex and the City or Gossip Girl, checking out local coffee shops, or trying new bars and restaurants in the city with friends and family.
Rachel Klein
Senior Commerce Editor
Rachel Klein is a Senior Commerce Editor for Popular Mechanics, where she writes about everything from garden hose reels and patio furniture to mesh wifi systems and robot vacuums. She started her career as a daily newspaper reporter and was a travel editor for more than a decade before she started testing and reviewing luggage, noise-cancelling headphones, and other travel-related products. Fast-forward another five years and her area of expertise includes home decor, appliances, tech, and outdoor adventure gear. In her spare time, you'll find her planning her next trip, reading historical fiction, and seeing as much art as she can squeeze into a weekend.
